In the past couple of months I’ve had a few different people reach out to me and ask what natural products I use for my bub. Everyone (and their baby) are different and their reasons for asking have been of particular interest to me. Some people are trying everything and anything to help with skin complaints like eczema and odd tummy rashes, whilst others are growing a little more cautious about the long term effects and safety of ingredients every-day on-shelf products for both themselves and now little ones. One person had recently watched “The Human Experiment” on Netflix and has dedicated 2018 to turning their home chemical free and started in the nursery. Whatever the reason, I’m pleased to provide the list of my favourite natural baby products I’ve used. I wanted to shout out particular thanks to Justine Mills, Paulette Bordignon, Suyinh Beardsley and my Mother’s Group (The Nibblers) who introduced me to a lot of these products to begin with. The ones I’ve listed here are tried and tested personally by me and bub, and they’re on this list I’ve purchased them again and again… because they do what they say they will! We don’t use natural products exclusively but like to try and incorporate them as a preference where we can. Nothing I’m writing here is #sponsored #gifted #paid – these are all true, natural (pun!) recommendations.

ACURE Baby Fix It

This lil product is about the size of a glue-stick or oversized lip balm (and works the same mechanically, with the wind up product release from the base). At The Well Store where I buy it, the product description says “makes scrapes, grazes and sores better, with the benefits of organic pomegranate, borage and pumpkin oils that deeply nourish the skin and help in cell regeneration.” I’ve used it on bub for minor rashes, cuts and blisters (new sandals!), rosy cheeks after sun exposure (yes… it happened, I’m sorry, I learned). It was also good to keep in the bottom of the pram because it doubled fine as a lip balm for me when I didn’t have time to rifle through my bottomless mum-bag to find mine.

WELEDA Teething Powder

When a friend first described this product to me she explained that the babies go crazy for it – and it’s true. In the middle of the night when lil’ one was up and frantc, she would see this jar come out and actually calm down knowing the effects of what was about to hit her. It’s the consistency of talcum powder and a little hard to administer (like the top is annoyingly too small for a teaspoon – or think of baby blowing talcum powder in your face off a spoon at 3am) BUT, it does seem to calm the baby down. This was a good go-to for us on the nights that we didn’t feel we ‘quite’ needed Nurofen or Panadol but needed something. (i.e. not when you’re two weeks deep in molar city). I buy from Nourished Life.

GRAHAM’S SunClear Natural Sunscreen

Oh my god how bad are natural sunscreens? Even the good ones are bad. I went on a mission. Bought 10 different kinds and this one sucked the least. Mainly because it goes on clear (never white), isn’t too thick to get out of the bottle (seriously some other brands are stuck in that bottle like concrete). I personally don’t know if this is designed for babies particularly but speaking from personal experience, at least I could get it on her which is more than I can say for a lot of the other brands (and surely that gains some points for effectiveness… being able to actually use it). Buy the larger one for home/beach (150g) as you do tend to need to re-apply being that it’s an SPF 30 – but the 50g version is a good emergency size to keep in the car/pram (and bonus, this product doesn’t get your seats and straps stained all white). I buy from Hello Charlie.

GAIA Baby Mousturiser

I bought a bottle of this when I was pregnant (in preparation) and it was gone before the baby even arrived. I use it more on myself than her… it’s consistency is ‘thin’ and light so goes on too easy, travels well to gym/yoga in terms of size and the click-cap. I haven’t moisturised our baby much but when I have, her skin drinks this up and is super soft. I buy from health shop but know this is also available at most standard chemists (Amcal / Chemist Warehouse etc).

LITTLE INNOCENTS Hair and Body Wash

Aint nobody got time for hair and body to be washed separately on bub. Some days you know the wash-off from the shampoo is all their skin is getting as a scrub. Little Innocents Hair and Body Wash is handy because the consistency is more gel than cream (which I just found soaps up quicker and better). We travelled with this one because we could all use it (and the cap was ‘pretty’ good for travel compared to most). I’ve tried a bunch of others and think they’re honestly much of a muchness but the grab and squeeze is good here – plus you can throw it in the bath as a toy to distract while you’re doing the hair thing. I buy direct from the brand itself at Little Innocents. *Note I originally trialled this product as a #gifted sample for All or Nothing but since purchase it as a happy paying customer.

WATER WIPES… wipes made (only) using water and fruit extract

Keepin it clean. Nothing much needs to be said here. They’re the best. They work well and when it comes to chemical exposure to baby’s skin, this was one area I was most interested in keeping clear from all those dozens of ingredients you can’t even pronounce. I don’t know why – I don’t have any scientific evidence or anything but it just seems better to keep this skin contact area simple. I know we think that wipes are wipes are wipes, but if you turn the packet around on this versus a lot of the supermarket shelf brands – you’ll be surprised to see the difference and these work just as well. It annoys me that these aren’t cost-effectively available for everyone and anyone who would prefer to use them. Buy in bulk (Hello Charlie 12 pack) and wait for sales to keep costs down – good luck trying not to use these to clean your bench as well as you’re baby, they’re simply the best.

WELEDA Calendula Nappy Cream

My friend Suyinh told me her baby had nappy rash one day, she used this overnight and it was completely gone the next day. I went out and bought it the next day and had the same experience with my first and ongoing uses. I don’t know what it is about this ingredient list but they have perfected it… Weleda themselves describe it as [having] “carefully selected formulation of beneficial ingredients, this rich cream cares for delicate baby skin in the nappy area. Skin friendly lanolin and zinc oxide provide a protective barrier against excessive moisture Organic almond oil and precious organic calendula and chamomile extracts provide gentle care and soothe the skin.” So obviously the only watch out is that it contains almond oil so beware for nut allergies (in fact where most child care centre’s allow you to provide your own cream, they’re often not allowed to contain nut ingredients such as this one, hence the next product on this list as an alternative). This brand is available in most good health stores and online retailers but also available directly from Weleda.

THANK YOU Nappy Balm (We use this for child care, where they can’t accept above product containing nuts/almond oil due to allergies). Great alternative to the above mentioned nappy balm and well priced too. A little goes a long way. This product is available at Coles, Priceline and also online through the Thank You brand directly.

LAFE’S Baby Insect Repellant

I had to search high and low for a chemical free bug repellant that was easy on the skin and actually worked. The search took me all the way to the US of A (but there are Australian retailers like Biovea selling Lafe’s Baby Bug Repellant online). This one is in a handy sized bottle and I’ve used it on myself – it’s not at all harsh and seems to do the trick in terms of repelling the main blood-sucking winged bugs. I’m interested in any other recommendations in this area (especially from local brands) if you know of any!

If you have a good recommendation for a natural baby product please comment below or on Facebook to share the love.